The Newton boys and girls basketball teams were swept by Dallas Center-Grimes in a Little Hawkeye Conference doubleheader heard live on the KRLS3 stream Friday night, while the girls wrestling team took eighth place at the Saydel Tournament. 

The Cardinal boys spotted Dallas Center Grimes a 14-0 lead before Isaiah Slaughter knocked down Newton’s first basket with 2:36 left in the first quarter. The Cardinals never caught up, trailing 40-19 at halftime and 58-32 at the end of the third quarter, before falling 84-39. Slaughter was the only Cardinal to reach double-figures, as he scored twelve points. Cardinals head coach Jason Carter said the slow start and having Dawson Maki get three early fouls was too much to overcome. 

“Not having our only senior who’s playing a ton of minutes, on the floor for almost the entire first half, absolutely killed us. But it’s a learning experience and growing pains with a lot of these inexperienced guys still.”

The Newton girls dropped the opening game of the doubleheader to  Class 4A #1 Dallas Center-Grimes 49-25. The Cardinals trailed 33-9 at the half, and both teams scored 16 points each the rest of the game. Addyson Cibula was the lone Newton player to reach double figures with ten points. Cardinals head coach Jake Bennett says not being able to handle the Mustangs full-court press was the team’s biggest issue.

“It was a challenging game for us. But we need some of that so we know what to focus on and can get better, and play at that level of physicality.”

The Newton girls fell to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play, while boys dropped to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the conference. Both of the Cardinals basketball teams are now off until hosting Pella next Friday.

At the Saydel Girls Wrestling Tournament, the Newton girls placed 8th out of 19 teams. The Cardinals achieved five top-six finishes and accumulated 92.5 points. Coach Chad Garvis noted the entire team showed growth, as the progress made in practice during the week showed up on the mat. Second place finishes were earned by Kylee Adams at 115 pounds and Ashlyn VanManen at 235 pounds. Isabel Tally claimed 5th place at 235 pounds and Alivia Conley took fifth at 125 pounds. Rosa Borja was the last top-six finisher for Newton, taking 6th place at 110 pounds. The Newton girls wrestling team is back in action today, competing at the Red Owens Holiday Classic hosted by Southeast Polk.